In the US these cookies are called Hamentashen (Haman's pockets); in Israel they are Oznei Haman (Haman's Ears). Whatever you call them, these labor-intensive treats are served up at Purim, the feast celebrating God's goodness and the heroism of Esther. Typical flavors include strawberry, apricot, poppyseed and prune, however last year while in Israel we discovered a whole host of middle-eastern flavors that we prefer to the American kind. So, this year I made them with Halvah, Chocolate and the old stand-by Poppyseed. The cookie recipe is good, but it isn't my favorite. Since all my recipe books are in storage I had to make do.
I made a double recipe, which used most of 1 can poppyseed filling (available at Ralphs or any store with a nice Jewish section), almost a whole small tub of nutella, and for the halvah I mixed 1/2 C. Tehina with a little over 1/3 C. honey.
Hamantashen Recipe
By Joan Nathan (Jewish Holiday Kitchen)
Makes about 36
2/3 cup pareve margarine or butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla (I use more)
2 1/2-3 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Dash of salt
1. Cream the shortening with sugar. Add egg and continue creaming until smooth.
2. Add the vanilla. Stir in the sifted flour, baking powder, and salt until a ball of dough is formed (a food processor is excellent for this). You may need to add a couple teaspoons of water if dough seems too crumbly.
3. Chill for 2-3 hours, or overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
5. Taking 1/4 of the dough at a time (leaving the rest in the fridge), roll out on a lightly floured board to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut circles of dough with a drinking glass or round cookie-cutter. With your finger put water around the rim of the circle. Fill with 1 teaspoon filling and fold into three-cornered cookies. (Press two sides together, and then fold the third side over and press the ends together.)
6. Bake on a well-greased cookie sheet 10-16 minutes, until the tops are golden.
FYI: the dough can get quite crumbly; if it's too hard to work with, add a bit of water, and it should behave. Also, DON'T skip the step of putting water around the edge of the circle. It's the only thing that makes them keep their shape. Enjoy!
